


All the World's a [Redacted]

by SweetSamOfMine (AudreeJo)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Fluff and Angst, Fluffy, Gen, High School, POV Sam Winchester, Pre-Stanford, Sweet, Theater - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-12
Updated: 2014-09-12
Packaged: 2018-02-17 03:54:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2295704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AudreeJo/pseuds/SweetSamOfMine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam got a part in the High School play he auditioned for, but the Winchesters are moved around so much Sam's time in the theater program may be limited.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All the World's a [Redacted]

**Author's Note:**

> This ficlet was born after I got a prompt in my askbox that said: "So in s1, Dean brings up the fact that Sam did theater in high school. My experience with it was that it was always really time consuming (during hell week, we would sometimes be rehearsing until 1 am) so if you maybe just happened to write a drabble of how Sam managed to do it in spite of hunting (or anything with Sam + theater!) i would probably love you forever."

Ever since Mr. Wyatt pointed out to Sam that he could possibly do something else with his life other than the family business, Sam had taken more of an interest in writing and English class in general. He was able to lose himself in his stories, and in books, in fiction, and imagine a whole other identity for himself. He could believe in an entirely different life, with different scenarios, with happier endings than he was ever used to having, where he felt loved and valued, instead of like a freak and a disappointment. 

At a school near Tulsa, Sam entered yet another Englsih classroom he was sure he was going to have to leave in a matter of days while they were studying Romeo and Juliet. He found himself really taking an interest in the language and the poetry, and since he didn’t know anyone and had nothing to lose, he didn’t mind volunteering to read in front of the class. He read for Mercutio and made the class laugh with his delivery a few times. It was then that he realized there was another way he could lose himself in stories, and that was acting. 

Unfortunately for Sam, they never landed in one place long enough for him to join a theater department. Every time they switched schools a few weeks of memorizing lines or preparation for an audition would go out the window. And most of the time, he wasn’t even allowed to transfer into the theater class because they would be mid-production, so he’d be left helping with lighting or building sets until the Winchesters were heading across the country once again.

But finally, the stars aligned enough for Sam to get to do one show. To Dean’s disappointment, John left Sam and Dean at Bobby’s for what he said would probably be about a month and a half. What he had to deal with was something he didn’t want the boys to be a part of, though he wouldn’t clarify why. So Bobby got Sam enrolled in the high school nearby while Dean, who had already dropped out, went on small hunts with Bobby.

It was the least pressure Sam had ever felt. He was able to focus on school and his own interests without being made to feel guilty about it, and without having to stay up secretly at night, so John wouldn’t know, to practice lines, or read, or write. Plus he was able to grab the role of George Gibbs in the student directed production of Our Town.

Sometimes Sam would come home from rehearsal feeling so free and full of energy that he would lay awake for hours. Then when he would fall asleep, he’d dream the lines he had to memorize instead of the rules John had hammered into him over and over. When he would wake in the morning, he didn’t dread the day because even though he was still Sam Winchester, by 5th period he would be someone else and wouldn’t have to be himself again until 7 that evening when rehearsal ended.

Dress rehearsal came faster than Sam could believe, and soon, all his hard work would be on display. After he changed back into Dean’s hand-me-downs that he was  _just_  starting to be too large for, he made his way back into the auditorium to get notes from the director. However, before he took his seat with the rest of the cast, Sam spotted Bobby sitting in a seat at the back. Sam’s stomach dropped. The director started addressing the cast, but Sam marched quickly over to see why Bobby was here. 

"Hey, Sam," he said with a mild smile. "Those are some pretty good acting chops you got there."

"Thanks," Sam replied with no smile. His eyes searched Bobby’s face. Bobby sighed knowing Sam was too intuitive for him not to cut right to the chase. 

"Your dad called. He’s coming back early."

Sam’s mouth went dry. “How early?”

"He’ll be by tomorrow evening to get you. There’s a job he says he needs both you and your brother for."

Sam bit down on his lip and nodded silently. He was a 17-year-old boy who was starting to look like a man, but that didn’t mean he had mastered hiding heartbreak. Not just yet. 

"I thought I’d come by and tell you before you left your acting buddies so you could let’em know," Bobby finished sympathetically. He stood and placed his hand on Sam’s shoulder, then left quickly to allow Sam a moment to gather his dignity in peace. 

Sam didn’t tell his acting buddies anything. 

After school the next day, Sam went to the theater like nothing had changed and he got in his costume, one of the only things he had ever worn that was actually made to fit  _him_. He knew John would be enraged that Sam wouldn’t be at Bobby’s when he came by later that night to pick them up, but he didn’t care. He was going to at least perform in one of the 3 shows. He could deal with whatever punishment John would give him for making them late. It would be worth it.

Opening night wasn’t huge. The theater department wasn’t a big deal at this high school and only the parents and families of the actors involved were in the audience. And possibly some friends. Maybe a teacher or two… and no one for Sam. But that didn’t matter to him. He didn’t care about attention or applause. He cared about slipping into a character and feeling what _they_  felt, seeing what  _they_  saw, knowing only what  _they_  knew about the world, and forgetting everything about  _himself_. When the lights went up that night and all he could see on stage was darkness and the actors around him, he was someone else, and it felt so good. 

As he washed the stage make-up off his face in the dressing room after his first performance ever, he became more and more depressed. The more he looked more like Sam and less like George, the closer he knew he was coming to facing the reality that this was over. There were two more performances but John would never let him stay for a whole other day after this. The sadness had already begun to weigh him down.

Sam was walking back through the theater so he could reach the parking lot and head home, squeezing in between the crowds of families huddled together talking to their cast members, getting pats on the back for his performance from strangers, when he saw Bobby and Dean standing at the back of the auditorium.

He approached warily, but he was surprised when Dean popped him on the shoulder energetically. “So, Sammy!” he exclaimed. “That was…  _cute_.”

Sam furrowed his brow, confused. “Thanks?”

"I told you, Dean. He’s really got some chops," Bobby added. He turned to lead the boys out. "Oh, Sam, your dad called back earlier today while you were at school. He won’t be coming back until Monday."

Sam’s heart leapt. “Really?” He tried not to sound relieved. 

"Yep," Bobby replied.

"Did he say why?" Sam asked.

"He got an anonymous tip, or something. Lead him a bit out of his way, apparently. Should take him longer than he though to backtrack." The three had reached Bobby’s car. 

"Anonymous?" 

"Yep, no idea who it was," Bobby said, with a wink. "Alright, let’s take Hollywood here out for some grub."


End file.
